Systems and methods for automatically updating guaranteed computing counters

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented system for updating a counter value in a data structure. The system may include a memory storing instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a process. The process may include receiving information relating to an event, and determining, for the event, a counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure. The data structure may include one or more entries. Each of the one or more entries may include the counter identifier field and a counter value field. The process may also include identifying, in the data structure, an entry that comprises a counter identifier value identical to the determined counter identifier value. The process may further include increasing a counter value in the counter value field of the identified entry.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to computerized systems andmethods for recording counter values relating to computing events. Inparticular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to inventiveand unconventional systems for updating counter values stored in a datastructure associated with a series of computing events.

BACKGROUND

Online activities have become more and more popular in recent years. Forexample, customers can place orders for goods or services on numerousonline platforms. To attract customers to shop at its website, an onlineplatform sometimes provides a coupon (e.g., 30% off an item) to allcustomers that can be used a maximum number of times. Once the maximumnumber of uses of the coupon is reached, the online platform mayprohibit any future use of the coupon. It may be vital to track thenumber of uses of the coupon accurately and efficiently. For instance, alarge number of online orders placed by customers using the coupon mayoccur in a short period of time. If the online platform cannot count thetimes that the coupon has been used in real time accurately, the onlineplatform may cut short the promotion unintentionally, defeating thepurposes of the promotion. Alternatively, the online platform may allowthe use of the coupon well beyond the maximum number it previously set,thereby incurring unnecessary loss.

Existing systems usually use counters (e.g., Cassandra counters) forcounting occurrences of certain events such as using a coupon bycustomers. However, These counters may not be as efficient as other datatypes. For example, some applications using Cassandra counters mayinvolve reading and writing data to multiple tables simultaneously orsequentially, which may impose potential risks of losing data orcreating inconsistent data. Additionally, in some cases, data is writtenand then immediately read back, which may create randomNullPointerExceptions (NPEs) and negatively affect the applicationperformance. Besides, in existing counter applications, it may beinflexible to reset counters for different events (e.g., daily downloadsand all-time downloads) having different reset frequencies and/or resettime periods.

Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems for updatingcounter values for computing events with more flexibility and higherefficiency.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to acomputer-implemented system for updating a counter value in a datastructure. The system may include a memory storing instructions and atleast one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform aprocess. The process may include receiving information relating to afirst event, and determining, for the first event, a first counteridentifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure.The data structure may include one or more entries. Each of the one ormore entries may include the counter identifier field and a countervalue field. The process may also include identifying, in the datastructure, a first entry that comprises a counter identifier valueidentical to the determined first counter identifier value. The processmay further include increasing a counter value in the counter valuefield of the first entry.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to acomputer-implemented method for updating a counter value in a datastructure. The method may include receiving information relating to afirst event, and determining, for the first event, a first counteridentifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure.The data structure may include one or more entries. Each of the one ormore entries may include the counter identifier field and a countervalue field. The method may also include identifying, in the datastructure, a first entry that comprises a counter identifier valueidentical to the determined first counter identifier value. The methodmay further include increasing a counter value in the counter valuefield of the first entry.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to acomputer-implemented system for updating a counter value in a datastructure. The system may include a memory storing instructions and atleast one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform aprocess. The process may include receiving information relating to anevent, and determining, for the event, a plurality of counter identifiervalues for a counter identifier field of the data structure. The datastructure may include one or more entries. Each of the one or moreentries may include the counter identifier field and a counter valuefield. The process may also include identifying, in the data structure,an entry that comprises a counter identifier value identical to a firstone of the determined counter identifier values. The process may furtherinclude increasing a counter value in the counter value field of theidentified entry. The process may also include determining that the datastructure does not comprise an entry that includes a counter identifiervalue identical to a second one of the determined counter identifiervalues. The process may further include creating a new entry in the datastructure when the data structure does not comprise an entry thatincludes a counter identifier value identical to the second one of thedetermined counter identifier values. A counter identifier value of thenew entry may include the second one of the determined counteridentifier values.

Other systems, methods, and computer-readable media are also discussedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplaryembodiment of a network comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B depicts a sample Search Result Page (SRP) that includes one ormore search results satisfying a search request along with interactiveuser interface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1C depicts a sample Single Display Page (SDP) that includes aproduct and information about the product along with interactive userinterface elements, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1D depicts a sample Cart page that includes items in a virtualshopping cart along with interactive user interface elements, consistentwith the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1E depicts a sample Order page that includes items from the virtualshopping cart along with information regarding purchase and shipping,along with interactive user interface elements, consistent with thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary fulfillment centerconfigured to utilize disclosed computerized systems, consistent withthe disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a pictographic representation of an exemplary countersystem, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a pictographic representation of an exemplarycomputing device, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary data structure for recording countervalues, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary data structure for recording countervalues, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary data structure for recording countervalues, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary data structure for recording countervalues, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 5E illustrates an exemplary data structure for recording countervalues, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process for updating adata structure, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process for responding toan online request by a user, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several illustrative embodiments are described herein,modifications, adaptations and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to thecomponents and steps illustrated in the drawings, and the illustrativemethods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering,removing, or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, thefollowing detailed description is not limited to the disclosedembodiments and examples. Instead, the proper scope of the invention isdefined by the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a schematic block diagram 100 illustrating anexemplary embodiment of a system comprising computerized systems forcommunications enabling shipping, transportation, and logisticsoperations is shown. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, system 100 may include avariety of systems, each of which may be connected to one another viaone or more networks. The systems may also be connected to one anothervia a direct connection, for example, using a cable. The depictedsystems include a shipment authority technology (SAT) system 101, anexternal front end system 103, an internal front end system 105, atransportation system 107, mobile devices 107A, 107B, and 107C, sellerportal 109, shipment and order tracking (SOT) system 111, fulfillmentoptimization (FO) system 113, fulfillment messaging gateway (FMG) 115,supply chain management (SCM) system 117, warehouse management system119, mobile devices 119A, 119B, and 119C (depicted as being inside offulfillment center (FC) 200), 3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A,121B, and 121C, fulfillment center authorization system (FC Auth) 123,and labor management system (LMS) 125.

SAT system 101, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that monitors order status and delivery status. For example, SATsystem 101 may determine whether an order is past its Promised DeliveryDate (PDD) and may take appropriate action, including initiating a neworder, reshipping the items in the non-delivered order, canceling thenon-delivered order, initiating contact with the ordering customer, orthe like. SAT system 101 may also monitor other data, including output(such as a number of packages shipped during a particular time period)and input (such as the number of empty cardboard boxes received for usein shipping). SAT system 101 may also act as a gateway between differentdevices in system 100, enabling communication (e.g., usingstore-and-forward or other techniques) between devices such as externalfront end system 103 and FO system 113.

External front end system 103, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables external users to interact with one ormore systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments where system 100enables the presentation of systems to enable users to place an orderfor an item, external front end system 103 may be implemented as a webserver that receives search requests, presents item pages, and solicitspayment information. For example, external front end system 103 may beimplemented as a computer or computers running software such as theApache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS),NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, external front end system 103may run custom web server software designed to receive and processrequests from external devices (e.g., mobile device 102A or computer102B), acquire information from databases and other data stores based onthose requests, and provide responses to the received requests based onacquired information.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, or a paymentsystem. In one aspect, external front end system 103 may comprise one ormore of these systems, while in another aspect, external front endsystem 103 may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server,database-to-database, or other network connections) connected to one ormore of these systems.

An illustrative set of steps, illustrated by FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E,will help to describe some operations of external front end system 103.External front end system 103 may receive information from systems ordevices in system 100 for presentation and/or display. For example,external front end system 103 may host or provide one or more web pages,including a Search Result Page (SRP) (e.g., FIG. 1B), a Single DetailPage (SDP) (e.g., FIG. 1C), a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D), or an Orderpage (e.g., FIG. 1E). A user device (e.g., using mobile device 102A orcomputer 102B) may navigate to external front end system 103 and requesta search by entering information into a search box. External front endsystem 103 may request information from one or more systems in system100. For example, external front end system 103 may request informationfrom FO System 113 that satisfies the search request. External front endsystem 103 may also request and receive (from FO System 113) a PromisedDelivery Date or “PDD” for each product included in the search results.The PDD, in some embodiments, may represent an estimate of when apackage containing the product will arrive at the user's desiredlocation or a date by which the product is promised to be delivered atthe user's desired location if ordered within a particular period oftime, for example, by the end of the day (11:59 PM). (PDD is discussedfurther below with respect to FO System 113.)

External front end system 103 may prepare an SRP (e.g., FIG. 1B) basedon the information. The SRP may include information that satisfies thesearch request. For example, this may include pictures of products thatsatisfy the search request. The SRP may also include respective pricesfor each product, or information relating to enhanced delivery optionsfor each product, PDD, weight, size, offers, discounts, or the like.External front end system 103 may send the SRP to the requesting userdevice (e.g., via a network).

A user device may then select a product from the SRP, e.g., by clickingor tapping a user interface, or using another input device, to select aproduct represented on the SRP. The user device may formulate a requestfor information on the selected product and send it to external frontend system 103. In response, external front end system 103 may requestinformation related to the selected product. For example, theinformation may include additional information beyond that presented fora product on the respective SRP. This could include, for example, shelflife, country of origin, weight, size, number of items in package,handling instructions, or other information about the product. Theinformation could also include recommendations for similar products(based on, for example, big data and/or machine learning analysis ofcustomers who bought this product and at least one other product),answers to frequently asked questions, reviews from customers,manufacturer information, pictures, or the like.

External front end system 103 may prepare an SDP (Single Detail Page)(e.g., FIG. 1C) based on the received product information. The SDP mayalso include other interactive elements such as a “Buy Now” button, a“Add to Cart” button, a quantity field, a picture of the item, or thelike. The SDP may further include a list of sellers that offer theproduct. The list may be ordered based on the price each seller offerssuch that the seller that offers to sell the product at the lowest pricemay be listed at the top. The list may also be ordered based on theseller ranking such that the highest ranked seller may be listed at thetop. The seller ranking may be formulated based on multiple factors,including, for example, the seller's past track record of meeting apromised PDD. External front end system 103 may deliver the SDP to therequesting user device (e.g., via a network).

The requesting user device may receive the SDP which lists the productinformation. Upon receiving the SDP, the user device may then interactwith the SDP. For example, a user of the requesting user device mayclick or otherwise interact with a “Place in Cart” button on the SDP.This adds the product to a shopping cart associated with the user. Theuser device may transmit this request to add the product to the shoppingcart to external front end system 103.

External front end system 103 may generate a Cart page (e.g., FIG. 1D).The Cart page, in some embodiments, lists the products that the user hasadded to a virtual “shopping cart.” A user device may request the Cartpage by clicking on or otherwise interacting with an icon on the SRP,SDP, or other pages. The Cart page may, in some embodiments, list allproducts that the user has added to the shopping cart, as well asinformation about the products in the cart such as a quantity of eachproduct, a price for each product per item, a price for each productbased on an associated quantity, information regarding PDD, a deliverymethod, a shipping cost, user interface elements for modifying theproducts in the shopping cart (e.g., deletion or modification of aquantity), options for ordering other product or setting up periodicdelivery of products, options for setting up interest payments, userinterface elements for proceeding to purchase, or the like. A user at auser device may click on or otherwise interact with a user interfaceelement (e.g., a button that reads “Buy Now”) to initiate the purchaseof the product in the shopping cart. Upon doing so, the user device maytransmit this request to initiate the purchase to external front endsystem 103.

External front end system 103 may generate an Order page (e.g., FIG. 1E)in response to receiving the request to initiate a purchase. The Orderpage, in some embodiments, re-lists the items from the shopping cart andrequests input of payment and shipping information. For example, theOrder page may include a section requesting information about thepurchaser of the items in the shopping cart (e.g., name, address, e-mailaddress, phone number), information about the recipient (e.g., name,address, phone number, delivery information), shipping information(e.g., speed/method of delivery and/or pickup), payment information(e.g., credit card, bank transfer, check, stored credit), user interfaceelements to request a cash receipt (e.g., for tax purposes), or thelike. External front end system 103 may send the Order page to the userdevice.

The user device may enter information on the Order page and click orotherwise interact with a user interface element that sends theinformation to external front end system 103. From there, external frontend system 103 may send the information to different systems in system100 to enable the creation and processing of a new order with theproducts in the shopping cart.

In some embodiments, external front end system 103 may be furtherconfigured to enable sellers to transmit and receive informationrelating to orders.

Internal front end system 105, in some embodiments, may be implementedas a computer system that enables internal users (e.g., employees of anorganization that owns, operates, or leases system 100) to interact withone or more systems in system 100. For example, in embodiments wheresystem 100 enables the presentation of systems to enable users to placean order for an item, internal front end system 105 may be implementedas a web server that enables internal users to view diagnostic andstatistical information about orders, modify item information, or reviewstatistics relating to orders. For example, internal front end system105 may be implemented as a computer or computers running software suchas the Apache HTTP Server, Microsoft Internet Information Services(IIS), NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, internal front endsystem 105 may run custom web server software designed to receive andprocess requests from systems or devices depicted in system 100 (as wellas other devices not depicted), acquire information from databases andother data stores based on those requests, and provide responses to thereceived requests based on acquired information.

In some embodiments, internal front end system 105 may include one ormore of a web caching system, a database, a search system, a paymentsystem, an analytics system, an order monitoring system, or the like. Inone aspect, internal front end system 105 may comprise one or more ofthese systems, while in another aspect, internal front end system 105may comprise interfaces (e.g., server-to-server, database-to-database,or other network connections) connected to one or more of these systems.

Transportation system 107, in some embodiments, may be implemented as acomputer system that enables communication between systems or devices insystem 100 and mobile devices 107A-107C. Transportation system 107, insome embodiments, may receive information from one or more mobiledevices 107A-107C (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or thelike). For example, in some embodiments, mobile devices 107A-107C maycomprise devices operated by delivery workers. The delivery workers, whomay be permanent, temporary, or shift employees, may utilize mobiledevices 107A-107C to effect delivery of packages containing the productsordered by users. For example, to deliver a package, the delivery workermay receive a notification on a mobile device indicating which packageto deliver and where to deliver it. Upon arriving at the deliverylocation, the delivery worker may locate the package (e.g., in the backof a truck or in a crate of packages), scan or otherwise capture dataassociated with an identifier on the package (e.g., a barcode, an image,a text string, an RFID tag, or the like) using the mobile device, anddeliver the package (e.g., by leaving it at a front door, leaving itwith a security guard, handing it to the recipient, or the like). Insome embodiments, the delivery worker may capture photo(s) of thepackage and/or may obtain a signature using the mobile device. Themobile device may send information to transportation system 107including information about the delivery, including, for example, time,date, GPS location, photo(s), an identifier associated with the deliveryworker, an identifier associated with the mobile device, or the like.Transportation system 107 may store this information in a database (notpictured) for access by other systems in system 100. Transportationsystem 107 may, in some embodiments, use this information to prepare andsend tracking data to other systems indicating the location of aparticular package.

In some embodiments, certain users may use one kind of mobile device(e.g., permanent workers may use a specialized PDA with custom hardwaresuch as a barcode scanner, stylus, and other devices) while other usersmay use other kinds of mobile devices (e.g., temporary or shift workersmay utilize off-the-shelf mobile phones and/or smartphones).

In some embodiments, transportation system 107 may associate a user witheach device. For example, transportation system 107 may store anassociation between a user (represented by, e.g., a user identifier, anemployee identifier, or a phone number) and a mobile device (representedby, e.g., an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), anInternational Mobile Subscription Identifier (IMSI), a phone number, aUniversal Unique Identifier (UUID), or a Globally Unique Identifier(GUID)). Transportation system 107 may use this association inconjunction with data received on deliveries to analyze data stored inthe database in order to determine, among other things, a location ofthe worker, an efficiency of the worker, or a speed of the worker.

Seller portal 109, in some embodiments, may be implemented as a computersystem that enables sellers or other external entities to electronicallycommunicate with one or more systems in system 100. For example, aseller may utilize a computer system (not pictured) to upload or provideproduct information, order information, contact information, or thelike, for products that the seller wishes to sell through system 100using seller portal 109.

Shipment and order tracking system 111, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives, stores, and forwardsinformation regarding the location of packages containing productsordered by customers (e.g., by a user using devices 102A-102B). In someembodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may request or storeinformation from web servers (not pictured) operated by shippingcompanies that deliver packages containing products ordered bycustomers.

In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system 111 may requestand store information from systems depicted in system 100. For example,shipment and order tracking system 111 may request information fromtransportation system 107. As discussed above, transportation system 107may receive information from one or more mobile devices 107A-107C (e.g.,mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, or the like) that are associated withone or more of a user (e.g., a delivery worker) or a vehicle (e.g., adelivery truck). In some embodiments, shipment and order tracking system111 may also request information from warehouse management system (WMS)119 to determine the location of individual products inside of afulfillment center (e.g., fulfillment center 200). Shipment and ordertracking system 111 may request data from one or more of transportationsystem 107 or WMS 119, process it, and present it to a device (e.g.,user devices 102A and 1028) upon request.

Fulfillment optimization (FO) system 113, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores information for customerorders from other systems (e.g., external front end system 103 and/orshipment and order tracking system 111). FO system 113 may also storeinformation describing where particular items are held or stored. Forexample, certain items may be stored only in one fulfillment center,while certain other items may be stored in multiple fulfillment centers.In still other embodiments, certain fulfilment centers may be designedto store only a particular set of items (e.g., fresh produce or frozenproducts). FO system 113 stores this information as well as associatedinformation (e.g., quantity, size, date of receipt, expiration date,etc.).

FO system 113 may also calculate a corresponding PDD (promised deliverydate) for each product. The PDD, in some embodiments, may be based onone or more factors. For example, FO system 113 may calculate a PDD fora product based on a past demand for a product (e.g., how many timesthat product was ordered during a period of time), an expected demandfor a product (e.g., how many customers are forecast to order theproduct during an upcoming period of time), a network-wide past demandindicating how many products were ordered during a period of time, anetwork-wide expected demand indicating how many products are expectedto be ordered during an upcoming period of time, one or more counts ofthe product stored in each fulfillment center 200, which fulfillmentcenter stores each product, expected or current orders for that product,or the like.

In some embodiments, FO system 113 may determine a PDD for each producton a periodic basis (e.g., hourly) and store it in a database forretrieval or sending to other systems (e.g., external front end system103, SAT system 101, shipment and order tracking system 111). In otherembodiments, FO system 113 may receive electronic requests from one ormore systems (e.g., external front end system 103, SAT system 101,shipment and order tracking system 111) and calculate the PDD on demand.

Fulfilment messaging gateway (FMG) 115, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that receives a request or response inone format or protocol from one or more systems in system 100, such asFO system 113, converts it to another format or protocol, and forward itin the converted format or protocol to other systems, such as WMS 119 or3^(rd) party fulfillment systems 121A, 121B, or 121C, and vice versa.

Supply chain management (SCM) system 117, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that performs forecasting functions.For example, SCM system 117 may forecast a level of demand for aparticular product based on, for example, based on a past demand forproducts, an expected demand for a product, a network-wide past demand,a network-wide expected demand, a count products stored in eachfulfillment center 200, expected or current orders for each product, orthe like. In response to this forecasted level and the amount of eachproduct across all fulfillment centers, SCM system 117 may generate oneor more purchase orders to purchase and stock a sufficient quantity tosatisfy the forecasted demand for a particular product.

Warehouse management system (WMS) 119, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that monitors workflow. For example,WMS 119 may receive event data from individual devices (e.g., devices107A-107C or 119A-119C) indicating discrete events. For example, WMS 119may receive event data indicating the use of one of these devices toscan a package. As discussed below with respect to fulfillment center200 and FIG. 2, during the fulfillment process, a package identifier(e.g., a barcode or RFID tag data) may be scanned or read by machines atparticular stages (e.g., automated or handheld barcode scanners, RFIDreaders, high-speed cameras, devices such as tablet 119A, mobiledevice/PDA 1198, computer 119C, or the like). WMS 119 may store eachevent indicating a scan or a read of a package identifier in acorresponding database (not pictured) along with the package identifier,a time, date, location, user identifier, or other information, and mayprovide this information to other systems (e.g., shipment and ordertracking system 111).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may store information associating one ormore devices (e.g., devices 107A-107C or 119A-119C) with one or moreusers associated with system 100. For example, in some situations, auser (such as a part- or full-time employee) may be associated with amobile device in that the user owns the mobile device (e.g., the mobiledevice is a smartphone). In other situations, a user may be associatedwith a mobile device in that the user is temporarily in custody of themobile device (e.g., the user checked the mobile device out at the startof the day, will use it during the day, and will return it at the end ofthe day).

WMS 119, in some embodiments, may maintain a work log for each userassociated with system 100. For example, WMS 119 may store informationassociated with each employee, including any assigned processes (e.g.,unloading trucks, picking items from a pick zone, rebin wall work,packing items), a user identifier, a location (e.g., a floor or zone ina fulfillment center 200), a number of units moved through the system bythe employee (e.g., number of items picked, number of items packed), anidentifier associated with a device (e.g., devices 119A-119C), or thelike. In some embodiments, WMS 119 may receive check-in and check-outinformation from a timekeeping system, such as a timekeeping systemoperated on a device 119A-119C.

3^(rd) party fulfillment (3PL) systems 121A-121C, in some embodiments,represent computer systems associated with third-party providers oflogistics and products. For example, while some products are stored infulfillment center 200 (as discussed below with respect to FIG. 2),other products may be stored off-site, may be produced on demand, or maybe otherwise unavailable for storage in fulfillment center 200. 3PLsystems 121A-121C may be configured to receive orders from FO system 113(e.g., through FMG 115) and may provide products and/or services (e.g.,delivery or installation) to customers directly. In some embodiments,one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be part of system 100, while inother embodiments, one or more of 3PL systems 121A-121C may be outsideof system 100 (e.g., owned or operated by a third-party provider).

Fulfillment Center Auth system (FC Auth) 123, in some embodiments, maybe implemented as a computer system with a variety of functions. Forexample, in some embodiments, FC Auth 123 may act as a single-sign on(SSO) service for one or more other systems in system 100. For example,FC Auth 123 may enable a user to log in via internal front end system105, determine that the user has similar privileges to access resourcesat shipment and order tracking system 111, and enable the user to accessthose privileges without requiring a second log in process. FC Auth 123,in other embodiments, may enable users (e.g., employees) to associatethemselves with a particular task. For example, some employees may nothave an electronic device (such as devices 119A-119C) and may insteadmove from task to task, and zone to zone, within a fulfillment center200, during the course of a day. FC Auth 123 may be configured to enablethose employees to indicate what task they are performing and what zonethey are in at different times of day.

Labor management system (LMS) 125, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as a computer system that stores attendance and overtimeinformation for employees (including full-time and part-time employees).For example, LMS 125 may receive information from FC Auth 123, WMS 119,devices 119A-119C, transportation system 107, and/or devices 107A-107C.

The particular configuration depicted in FIG. 1A is an example only. Forexample, while FIG. 1A depicts FC Auth system 123 connected to FO system113, not all embodiments require this particular configuration. Indeed,in some embodiments, the systems in system 100 may be connected to oneanother through one or more public or private networks, including theInternet, an Intranet, a WAN (Wide-Area Network), a MAN(Metropolitan-Area Network), a wireless network compliant with the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n Standards, a leased line, or the like. In someembodiments, one or more of the systems in system 100 may be implementedas one or more virtual servers implemented at a data center, serverfarm, or the like.

FIG. 2 depicts a fulfillment center 200. Fulfillment center 200 is anexample of a physical location that stores items for shipping tocustomers when ordered. Fulfillment center (FC) 200 may be divided intomultiple zones, each of which are depicted in FIG. 2. These “zones,” insome embodiments, may be thought of as virtual divisions betweendifferent stages of a process of receiving items, storing the items,retrieving the items, and shipping the items. So while the “zones” aredepicted in FIG. 2, other divisions of zones are possible, and the zonesin FIG. 2 may be omitted, duplicated, or modified in some embodiments.

Inbound zone 203 represents an area of FC 200 where items are receivedfrom sellers who wish to sell products using system 100 from FIG. 1A.For example, a seller may deliver items 202A and 202B using truck 201.Item 202A may represent a single item large enough to occupy its ownshipping pallet, while item 202B may represent a set of items that arestacked together on the same pallet to save space.

A worker will receive the items in inbound zone 203 and may optionallycheck the items for damage and correctness using a computer system (notpictured). For example, the worker may use a computer system to comparethe quantity of items 202A and 202B to an ordered quantity of items. Ifthe quantity does not match, that worker may refuse one or more of items202A or 202B. If the quantity does match, the worker may move thoseitems (using, e.g., a dolly, a handtruck, a forklift, or manually) tobuffer zone 205. Buffer zone 205 may be a temporary storage area foritems that are not currently needed in the picking zone, for example,because there is a high enough quantity of that item in the picking zoneto satisfy forecasted demand. In some embodiments, forklifts 206 operateto move items around buffer zone 205 and between inbound zone 203 anddrop zone 207. If there is a need for items 202A or 202B in the pickingzone (e.g., because of forecasted demand), a forklift may move items202A or 202B to drop zone 207.

Drop zone 207 may be an area of FC 200 that stores items before they aremoved to picking zone 209. A worker assigned to the picking task (a“picker”) may approach items 202A and 202B in the picking zone, scan abarcode for the picking zone, and scan barcodes associated with items202A and 202B using a mobile device (e.g., device 119B). The picker maythen take the item to picking zone 209 (e.g., by placing it on a cart orcarrying it).

Picking zone 209 may be an area of FC 200 where items 208 are stored onstorage units 210. In some embodiments, storage units 210 may compriseone or more of physical shelving, bookshelves, boxes, totes,refrigerators, freezers, cold stores, or the like. In some embodiments,picking zone 209 may be organized into multiple floors. In someembodiments, workers or machines may move items into picking zone 209 inmultiple ways, including, for example, a forklift, an elevator, aconveyor belt, a cart, a handtruck, a dolly, an automated robot ordevice, or manually. For example, a picker may place items 202A and 202Bon a handtruck or cart in drop zone 207 and walk items 202A and 202B topicking zone 209.

A picker may receive an instruction to place (or “stow”) the items inparticular spots in picking zone 209, such as a particular space on astorage unit 210. For example, a picker may scan item 202A using amobile device (e.g., device 119B). The device may indicate where thepicker should stow item 202A, for example, using a system that indicatean aisle, shelf, and location. The device may then prompt the picker toscan a barcode at that location before stowing item 202A in thatlocation. The device may send (e.g., via a wireless network) data to acomputer system such as WMS 119 in FIG. 1A indicating that item 202A hasbeen stowed at the location by the user using device 1198.

Once a user places an order, a picker may receive an instruction ondevice 1198 to retrieve one or more items 208 from storage unit 210. Thepicker may retrieve item 208, scan a barcode on item 208, and place iton transport mechanism 214. While transport mechanism 214 is representedas a slide, in some embodiments, transport mechanism may be implementedas one or more of a conveyor belt, an elevator, a cart, a forklift, ahandtruck, a dolly, a cart, or the like. Item 208 may then arrive atpacking zone 211.

Packing zone 211 may be an area of FC 200 where items are received frompicking zone 209 and packed into boxes or bags for eventual shipping tocustomers. In packing zone 211, a worker assigned to receiving items (a“rebin worker”) will receive item 208 from picking zone 209 anddetermine what order it corresponds to. For example, the rebin workermay use a device, such as computer 119C, to scan a barcode on item 208.Computer 119C may indicate visually which order item 208 is associatedwith. This may include, for example, a space or “cell” on a wall 216that corresponds to an order. Once the order is complete (e.g., becausethe cell contains all items for the order), the rebin worker mayindicate to a packing worker (or “packer”) that the order is complete.The packer may retrieve the items from the cell and place them in a boxor bag for shipping. The packer may then send the box or bag to a hubzone 213, e.g., via forklift, cart, dolly, handtruck, conveyor belt,manually, or otherwise.

Hub zone 213 may be an area of FC 200 that receives all boxes or bags(“packages”) from packing zone 211. Workers and/or machines in hub zone213 may retrieve package 218 and determine which portion of a deliveryarea each package is intended to go to, and route the package to anappropriate camp zone 215. For example, if the delivery area has twosmaller sub-areas, packages will go to one of two camp zones 215. Insome embodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., usingone of devices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Routingthe package to camp zone 215 may comprise, for example, determining aportion of a geographical area that the package is destined for (e.g.,based on a postal code) and determining a camp zone 215 associated withthe portion of the geographical area.

Camp zone 215, in some embodiments, may comprise one or more buildings,one or more physical spaces, or one or more areas, where packages arereceived from hub zone 213 for sorting into routes and/or sub-routes. Insome embodiments, camp zone 215 is physically separate from FC 200 whilein other embodiments camp zone 215 may form a part of FC 200.

Workers and/or machines in camp zone 215 may determine which routeand/or sub-route a package 220 should be associated with, for example,based on a comparison of the destination to an existing route and/orsub-route, a calculation of workload for each route and/or sub-route,the time of day, a shipping method, the cost to ship the package 220, aPDD associated with the items in package 220, or the like. In someembodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (e.g., using one ofdevices 119A-119C) to determine its eventual destination. Once package220 is assigned to a particular route and/or sub-route, a worker and/ormachine may move package 220 to be shipped. In exemplary FIG. 2, campzone 215 includes a truck 222, a car 226, and delivery workers 224A and224B. In some embodiments, truck 222 may be driven by delivery worker224A, where delivery worker 224A is a full-time employee that deliverspackages for FC 200 and truck 222 is owned, leased, or operated by thesame company that owns, leases, or operates FC 200. In some embodiments,car 226 may be driven by delivery worker 224B, where delivery worker224B is a “flex” or occasional worker that is delivering on an as-neededbasis (e.g., seasonally). Car 226 may be owned, leased, or operated bydelivery worker 224B.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of an exemplary system 300consistent with the disclosed embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 3,system 300 may include one or more servers 310, one or more user devices320 (e.g., user device 320A, user device 320B, user device 320C, . . . ,user device 320N, etc.), a network 330, and a database 340.

Server 310 may receive information relating to one or more events.Exemplary events may include one or more of applying a coupon, orderingan item, downloading or streaming a media file (e.g., a movie, a song,an episode of a TV series, etc.), watching a live event (e.g., aconcert, an opera, a circus performance, a sports event), or the like,or a combination thereof. Server 310 may also determine whether the oneor more events affect a counter value, and if so, server 310 may furthermodify (increase or decrease) the counter value. Server 310 may furtherdetermine whether the counter value is equal to or exceed apredetermined threshold, and if so, server 310 may prohibit theoccurrence of the event in the future.

By way of example, server 310 may receive information relating to afirst event that the user used a coupon for a first online order placedthrough system 100 via user device 320A on Aug. 1, 2020. Server 310 mayrecord the first event (i.e., the first use of the coupon) as an entryin a data structure, which may be stored in a storage device locally(e.g., storage device 403 illustrated in FIG. 4) or a network-connecteddatabase (e.g., database 340). Server 310 may also add a counter valueof “1” into the entry for the user, indicating that the user used acoupon once. In some embodiments, server 310 may also update the countervalue in the data structure for the use of the coupon by all users (orreferred to as a global counter value) by adding “1” to the globalcounter value. Server 310 may further determine whether the globalcounter value is equal to or exceeds a predetermined number. If so,server 310 may prohibit (or cause another component of system 100 toprohibit) the use of the coupon.

While FIG. 3 illustrates one server 310, one skilled in the art wouldunderstand that system 300 may include one or more servers 110 that,individually or in combination, perform the functions of server 310disclosed in this application. For example, server 310 may constitute acloud server group comprising two or more servers that perform thefunctions disclosed herein. The term “cloud server” refers to a computerplatform that provides services via a network, such as the Internet. Inthis example configuration, server 310 may use virtual machines that maynot correspond to individual hardware. For example, computational and/orstorage capabilities may be implemented by allocating appropriateportions of computation/storage power from a scalable repository, suchas a data center or a distributed computing environment. In one example,server 310 may implement the methods described herein using customizedhard-wired logic, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits(ASICs) or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), firmware, and/orprogram logic which, in combination with the computer system, causeserver 310 to be a special-purpose machine.

User device 320 may interact with one or more components of system 100.For example, a user may place an online order with system 100 via userdevice 320. As another example, a user may download a movie (or play astream medium) on an online platform of system 100 via user device 320.Server 310 may receive information relating to the interaction betweenuser device 320 and one or more components of system 100.

Network 330 may be configured to facilitate communications among thecomponents of system 100. Network 330 may include wired and wirelesscommunication networks, such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-areanetwork (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, atelecommunications network, or the like, or a combination thereof.

Database 340 may be configured to store information and data for one ormore components of system 100. For example, database 340 may store thedata (e.g., one or more data structures for recording counter values)for server 310.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device 400consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Server 310 and/or user device320 may be implemented based on the architecture of computing device400. For example, server 310 may include one or more components ofcomputing device 400 configured to perform its functions disclosed inthis application. As illustrated in FIG. 4, computing device 400 mayinclude at least one processor (e.g., processor 401), a memory 402, atleast one storage device (e.g., storage device 403), a communicationsport 404, an input device 405, and an output device 406.

Processor 401 may be configured to perform one or more functions ofserver 310 and/or user device 320 described in this application.Processor 401 may include a microprocessor, preprocessors (such as animage preprocessor), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a centralprocessing unit (CPU), support circuits, digital signal processors,integrated circuits, memory, or any other types of devices suitable forrunning applications or performing a computing task. In someembodiments, processor 401 may include any type of single or multi-coreprocessor, mobile device microcontroller, central processing unit, etc.Various processing devices may be used, including, for example,processors available from manufacturers such as Intel®, AMD®, etc., orGPUs available from manufacturers such as NVIDIA®, ATI®, etc. and mayinclude various architectures (e.g., x86 processor, ARM®, etc.). Any ofthe processing devices disclosed herein may be configured to performcertain functions. Configuring a processing device, such as any of thedescribed processors or other controller or microprocessor, to performcertain functions may include programming of computer-executableinstructions and making those instructions available to the processingdevice for execution during operation of the processing device. In someembodiments, configuring a processing device may include programming theprocessing device directly with architectural instructions. For example,processing devices such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and the like may beconfigured using, for example, one or more hardware descriptionlanguages (HDLs).

Computing device 400 may also include a memory 402 that may storeinstructions for various components of computing device 400. Forexample, memory 402 may store instructions that, when executed byprocessor 401, may be configured to cause processor 401 to perform oneor more functions described herein. Memory 402 may include any number ofrandom-access memories, read-only memories, flash memories, disk drives,optical storage, tape storage, removable storage, and other types ofstorage. In one instance, memory 402 may be separate from processor 401.In another instance, memory 402 may be integrated into processor 401. Insome embodiments, memory 402 may include software for performing one ormore computing tasks, as well as a trained system, such as a neuralnetwork, or a deep neural network, for example.

Storage device 403 may be configured to store various data andinformation for one or more components of computing device 400. Forexample, storage device 403 may store one or more data structuresincluding one or more counter values relating to a promotion (e.g., acoupon, a free item, etc.). Storage device 403 may include one or morehard drives, tapes, one or more solid-state drives, any device suitablefor writing and read data, or the like, or a combination thereof.

Communications port 404 may be configured to facilitate datacommunications between computing device 400 and one or more componentsof system 100 via network 330. For example, communications port 404 maybe configured to receive data from and transmit data to one or morecomponents of system 100 via one or more public or private networks,including the Internet, an Intranet, a WAN (Wide-Area Network), a MAN(Metropolitan-Area Network), a wireless network compliant with the IEEE802.11a/b/g/n Standards, a leased line, or the like. By way of example,server 310 may include communications port 404 configured to receiveinformation relating to one or more events from a user device 320 vianetwork 330. As another example, server 310 may obtain one or more datastructures described in this disclosure from database 340 via network330.

Input device 405 may be configured to receive input from the user ofcomputing device 400, and one or more components of computing device 400may perform one or more functions in response to the input received. Insome embodiments, input device 405 may include an interface displayed ona touchscreen (e.g., output device 406). Output device 406 may beconfigured to output information and/or data to the user. For example,output device 406 may include a display configured to display one ormore data structures and/or one or more entries thereof.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary data structure 500 for recording one ormore counter values, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Data structure 500 may include one or more entries forrecording counter values associated with downloads of a movie M1 by oneor more users. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, data structure 500 may includean entry 510 associated with all-time downloads by all users and/or anentry 520 associated with daily downloads by all users. Data structure500 (and each entry of data structure 500) may include a counteridentifier field 501 and a counter value field 505. When no downloadshave occurred, the value of the counter value field of entry 510 may beset as 0, and the value of the counter value field of entry 520 may beset as 0.

In some embodiments, a counter identifier field may include a pluralityof sub-fields. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, counteridentifier field 501 may include a counter ID sub-field 502, a user IDsub-field 503, and/or a reset sub-field 504. Reset sub-field 504 mayfurther include a reset frequency sub-field (shown as “reset_frequency”)and a reset time sub-field (shown as “reset_at”). The reset frequencysub-field may specify the frequency of resetting the counter value fieldof the entry. The reset time sub-field may specify the time to reset thecounter value field of the entry. Alternatively, the reset timesub-field may specify the time after which the counter value will remainunchanged, and a new entry for a subsequent event may be created afterthe reset time. For example, entry 510 includes a counter associatedwith all-time downloads of movie M1 by all users, and the counter ofentry 510 may not be reset. By way of example, the reset frequencysub-field of entry 510 may include a value of “NONE” (or a valueindicating non-resetting), and the reset time sub-field of entry 510 mayinclude a value of “9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” (or a value indicatingnon-resetting). As another example, entry 520 includes a counterassociated with daily downloads of movie M1 by all users, and thecounter may be reset daily. By way of example, the reset frequencysub-field of entry 520 may include a value of “DAILY” (or a valueindicating the counter being reset daily). The reset time sub-field ofentry 520 may include an initial value indicating that the countershould be reset a predetermined time period (e.g., 24 hours) after thetime of the first download or a fixed time (e.g.,“2020-06-27T23:59:59.000Z”). In some embodiments, the value of resettime sub-field may be updated when the first download occurs (asillustrated in FIG. 5B and described below).

FIG. 5B illustrates data structure 500 updated after a first event(Event 1 illustrated in FIG. 5B), consistent with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Data structure 500 may be stored in storagedevice 403 illustrated in FIG. 4 and/or database 340, which may beaccessed by server 310.

The first event may be that a user (User A) downloaded movie M1 via auser device 320 through a webpage or an application page on Jun. 26,2020 at 15:00:00 (e.g., GMT+9). Server 310 may obtain informationrelating to the first event. For example, server 310 may obtaininformation relating to the user, information relating to the userdevice to which the movie was downloaded and/or stored, informationrelating to the movie, and/or information relating to the download.Exemplary information relating to a user may include the user ID (and/orthe username), the name, the address, the phone number, the emailaddress, or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary informationrelating to movie M1 may include the counter ID, the title, the mediumformat (e.g., the resolution, the file size, etc.), or the like, or acombination thereof. Exemplary information relating to the user devicemay include the model, the internet protocol (IP) address associatedwith the user device, a network device ID associated with the userdevice (e.g., media access control (MAC) address), the operating system,or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary information relating tothe download may include the start time of the download, the completiontime of the download, the start time of the first play of the downloadedmedia file, the time period of completing the download, or the like, ora combination thereof.

In some embodiments, server 310 may obtain information relating to anevent from user device 320 associated with a user. For example, server310 may obtain, from user device 320, information relating to userdevice 320, such as the model, the internet protocol (IP) addressassociated with user device 320, the MAC address associated with userdevice 320, the operating system, or the like, or a combination thereof.Alternatively or additionally, server 310 may determine the start timeof the download, the completion time of the download, the start time ofthe first play of the downloaded media file, the time period ofcompleting the download, or the like, based on one or more timestampsassociated with the download. Alternatively or additionally, server 310may receive data associated with the position of user device 320determined by a global positioning system (GPS) receiver of user device320, and determine a time zone associated with the download based on thereceived data. Server 310 may also determine the start time of thedownload, the completion time of the download, the start time of thefirst play of the downloaded media file, the time period of completingthe download, or the like, based on the determined time zone. In someembodiments, server 310 may also determine a value of the reset timesub-field for an entry (or an event) based on the start time of thedownload, the completion time of the download, the start time of thefirst play of the downloaded media file, the time period of completingthe download, or the like, or a combination thereof.

Server 310 may identify a data structure of recording a counter valueassociated with the download of movie M1. For example, server 310 mayidentify data structure 500 by searching the counter ID “M1” among thedata structure stored in storage device 403.

Server 310 may also update data structure 500 if one or more entries areaffected by the first event. For example, server 310 may determine oneor more first counter identifier values in the counter identifier fieldof data structure 500 for the first event. Server 310 may also determinewhether data structure 500 includes an entry that has a counteridentifier value that is identical to one of the one or more firstcounter identifier values. If server 310 identifies an existing entrythat has a matched (or identical) counter identifier value, server 310may update the counter value of the identified entry, by, for example,adding “1” into the counter value. On the other hand, if server 310determines that data structure 500 does not include any entries havingthe same counter identifier value, server 310 may create a new entry andassign the determined counter identifier value for the event as thecounter identifier value of the new entry. Server 310 may also insertthe new entry into data structure 500 by, for example, appending the newentry to the last entry of data structure 500.

By way of example, as described elsewhere in this disclosure, datastructure 500 may include counter identifier field 501 (illustrated inFIG. 5A), which may include three subfields—the “counter_id” sub-field,the “user_id” sub-field, and the reset sub-field (which may, in turn,include a “reset_frequency” sub-field and a “reset_at” sub-field). Thefirst event (i.e., User A downloaded movie M1 into a user device 320)may affect four types of downloads: (1) all-tine download(s) by User A;and (2) daily download(s) by User A; (3) all-time download(s) by allusers; (4) daily download(s) by all users;. Accordingly, server 310 maydetermine a value of the counter identifier field for each of the fourtypes of downloads (which may correspond to four entries) based on theinformation relating to the download by User A.

For example, server 310 may determine a first counter identifier valuefor the all-time download(s) by User A, which may include a value “M1”for the “counter_id” sub-field, a value of “A” for the “user_id”sub-field, a value of “NONE” for the “reset_frequency” sub-field, and avalue of “9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for the “reset_at” sub-field.Similarly, server 310 may determine a second counter identifier valuefor the daily download(s) by User A, which may include a value of “M1”for the “counter_id” sub-field, a value of “A” for the “user_id”sub-field, a value of “DAILY” for the “reset_frequency” sub-field, and avalue of “2020-06-27T 00:00:00.000Z,” which may be set as the start ofthe next day (i.e., Jun. 27, 2020 at 00:00:00), for the “reset_at”sub-field. Alternatively, server 310 may set a predetermined time period(e.g., 24 hours) after the start time or the completion time of thedownload, or the first time of playing the downloaded media file for thevalue of the “reset_at” sub-field.

Server 310 may also determine counter identifier values associated withall-time and daily downloads by all users. By way of example, server 310may determine a third counter identifier value for all-time download(s)by all users, which may include a value of “M1” for the “counter_id”sub-field, a value of “ALL USERS” for the “user_id” sub-field, a valueof “NONE” for the “reset_frequency” sub-field, and a value of“9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for the “reset_at” sub-field. Similarly,server 310 may determine a fourth counter identifier value for the dailydownload(s) by all users, which may include a value of “M1” for the“counter_id” sub-field and a value of “ALL USERS” for the “user_id”sub-field, a value of “DAILY” for the “reset_frequency” sub-field, and avalue of “2020-06-27T 00:00:00.000Z” (i.e., the start of the next day)for the “reset_at” sub-field. Alternatively, the “reset_at” sub-fieldmay be reset daily a predetermined time period (e.g., 24 hours) afterthe start time or the completion time of the download, or the first timeof playing the downloaded media file.

Server 310 may further determine whether data structure 500 includes anentry having a counter identifier value that is identical to one of theone or more determined counter identifier values for the event. Forexample, as described above, server 310 may determine the third counteridentifier value of “M1; ALL USERS; NONE; 9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” forall-time download(s) by all users. Server 310 may also determine thatthe third counter identifier value is the same as the counter identifiervalue of entry 510, and identify entry 510 as a relevant entry. Server310 may further update the counter value of entry 510 by adding “1” tothe counter value (which was “0” before the download by User A asillustrated in FIG. 5A). As another example, server 310 may determinethat the fourth counter identifier value (for daily download(s) by allusers) is the same as the counter identifier value of entry 520, andidentify entry 520 as another relevant entry. Server 310 may also updatethe counter value of entry 520 by adding “1” to the counter value (whichwas “0” before the download by User A as illustrated in FIG. 5A).

If server 310 determines that data structure 500 does not include anentry that has a counter identifier value identical to a determinedcounter identifier value, server 310 may create a new entry. Server 310may also assign the determined counter identifier value as the counteridentifier value of the new entry and insert the new entry into datastructure 500. For example, as described above, server 310 may determinethe first counter identifier value of “M1; A; NONE; 9999-12-3123:59:59.000Z” for the all-time download(s) by User A. Server 310 mayalso determine that the first counter identifier value does not matchany counter identifier values of the existing entries in data structure500. Server 310 may further create a new entry 530, assign the firstcounter identifier value to the counter identifier value of entry 530,and add the counter value of 1 into the counter value field of entry530. Server 310 may also insert entry 530 into data structure 500 by,for example, appending to the last entry in data structure (i.e., entry520). Similarly, server 310 may determine that the second counteridentifier value (for the daily download(s) by User A) does not matchany counter identifier values of the existing entries in data structure500. Server 310 may create a new entry 540, assign the second counteridentifier value as the counter identifier value of entry 540, and addthe counter value of 1 into the counter value field of entry 540. Server310 may also insert entry 540 into data structure 500 by, for example,appending entry 540 to entry 530).

Server 310 may update one or more existing entries in data structure 500and/or add one or more new entries into data structure 500 for one ormore subsequent events. For example, User A may download movie M1 againon the same day (e.g., Jun. 26, 2020 at 20:00:00), which is referredherein as the second event (and Event 2 illustrated in FIG. 5C). Server310 may obtain information relating to the event as described elsewherein this disclosure. By way of example, server 310 may obtain the counterID associated with movie M1, the user ID of User A, and the start time(and/or the completion time) of the download. Server 310 may alsodetermine one or more counter identifier values for the event asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, server 310 maydetermine a counter identifier value of “M1; A; NONE; 9999-12-3123:59:59.000Z” for the all-time downloads by User A. As another example,server 310 may also determine a counter identifier value of “M1; A;DAILY; 2020-06-27T 15:00:00.000Z” for the daily downloads by User A. Insome embodiments, the value of the “reset_at” sub-field may not changeif the download time (the start or the completion time) is within apredetermined time period (e.g., 24 hours). Server 310 may furtherdetermine counter identifier values for the all-time and daily downloadsby all users as described elsewhere in this disclosure.

Server 310 may determine whether a determined counter identifier valuematches any counter identifier values of the existing entries in datastructure 500. If so, server 310 may identify the corresponding entryand update the counter value of the identified entry. On the other hand,if data structure 500 does not include an entry having a counteridentifier value matching (or identical to) a particular determinedcounter identifier value, server 310 may create a new entry, assign thedetermined counter identifier value as the counter identifier value ofthe new entry, and add a counter value of 1 into the counter value fieldof the new entry. Server 310 may also insert the new entry into datastructure 500. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, server 310 mayidentify four entries: entry 510, entry 520, entry 530, and entry 540,each of which includes a counter identifier value that matches one ofthe determined counter identifier values described above. Server 310 mayalso update the counter value of each of entry 510, entry 520, entry530, and entry 540 by adding “1.”

FIG. 5D illustrates data structure 500 updated after a third event(Event 3 illustrated in FIG. 5D). The third event may be that anotheruser, User B, downloaded movie M1 on Jun. 26, 2020 at 21:00:00. Server310 may obtain information relating to the event as described elsewherein this disclosure. By way of example, server 310 obtain the counter IDassociated with movie M1, the user ID of User B, and the start time(and/or the completion time) of the download by User B. As describedelsewhere in this disclosure, server 310 may also determine one or morecounter identifier values for the third event. For example, for thethird event, server 310 may determine a first counter identifier valueof “M1; B; NONE; 9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for all-time download(s) byUser B, a second counter identifier value of “M1; B; DAILY;2020-06-27T16:00:00.000Z” for daily download(s) by User B, a thirdcounter identifier value of “M1; ALL USERS; NONE; 9999-12-3123:59:59.000Z” for all-time downloads by all users, and a fourth counteridentifier value of “M1; ALL USERS; DAILY; 2020-06-27T 00:00:00.000Z”for daily downloads by all users. As described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, server 310 may also determine whether data structure 500includes an entry having a counter identifier value that matches the oneor more determined counter identifier values for the event. By way ofexample, server 310 may determine that the counter identifier value ofentry 510 matches the determined third counter identifier value, and thecounter identifier value of entry 520 matches the determined fourthcounter identifier value. Server 310 may update the counter values ofentry 510 and entry 520 by adding 1 to the counter values, as describedelsewhere in this disclosure. On the other hand, server 310 maydetermine that no existing entries in data structure 500 include acounter identifier value that matches the determined first counteridentifier value or the determined second counter identifier value.Server 310 may create a new entry for each of the determined firstcounter identifier value and the determined second counter identifiervalue, and insert the new entries (i.e., entry 550 and entry 560illustrated in FIG. 5D) into data structure 500, as described elsewherein this disclosure.

FIG. 5E illustrates data structure 500 updated after a fourth event(Event 4 illustrated in FIG. 5E). The fourth event may be that User Adownloaded movie M1 again on Jun. 27, 2020 at 16:00:00.

In some embodiments, server 310 may keep the counter of the dailydownload(s) by all users (i.e., the counter value of the counter valuefield of entry 520 in data structure 500) unchanged after Jun. 27, 2020at 00:00:00, which is specified in the “reset_at” sub-field of entry520. For example, server 310 may prevent any data written to entry 520by, for example, setting entry 520 as read-only. Server 310 may alsokeep the counter of the daily download(s) by User A (i.e., the countervalue of the counter value field of entry 520 in data structure 500)unchanged after Jun. 27, 2020 at 00:00:00, which is specified in the“reset_at” sub-field of entry 540. For example, server 310 may preventany data written to entry 530 by, for example, setting entry 530 asread-only. In some embodiments, server 310 may also create a new entryin data structure 500 after the reset time. For example, at (or after)the time specified in the “reset_at” field (e.g., Jun. 27, 2020 at00:00:00), server 310 may create a new entry for daily download(s) byall users, which may have a counter identifier value of “M1; ALL USERS;DAILY; 2020-06-28T 00:00:00.000Z” and a counter value of “0” (since nodownloads may not have occurred at the reset time).

Server 310 may obtain information relating to the event and determineone or more counter identifier values based on the obtained information,as described elsewhere in this disclosure. By way of example, server 310may determine a first counter identifier value of “M1; A; NONE;9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for all-time download(s) by User A, a secondcounter identifier value of “M1; A; DAILY; 2020-06-28T16:00:00.000Z” fordaily download(s) by User A, a third counter identifier value of “M1;ALL USERS; NONE; 9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for all-time downloads by allusers, and a fourth counter identifier value of “M1; ALL USERS; DAILY;2020-06-28T 00:00:00.000Z” for daily downloads by all users. Assumingthat server 310 has not created a new entry (e.g., entry 580 illustratedin FIG. 5E but having a counter value of “0”) for daily download(s) byall users at or after the reset time as described above, server 310 mayalso identify entry 510, entry 520, and entry 530, each of whichincludes a counter identifier value matching one of the determinedcounter identifier values. On the other hand, if server 310 has alreadycreated a new entry 580 for daily download(s) by all users at, forexample, Jun. 28, 2020 at 00:00:00.000, server 310 may also identifyentry 580 matching the fourth counter identifier value.

Server 310 may further update the counter values of entry 510, entry520, and entry 530 (and entry 580 if it has been created at or after areset time). Server 310 may also determine that no existing entries indata structure 500 have a counter identifier value matching the secondcounter identifier value (for daily download(s) by User A). Server 310may create a new entry 570 for the second counter identifier value andinsert entry 570 in data structure 500. In the event that a new entryhas not been created for daily download(s) by all users at or after areset time, server 310 may also create a new entry 580 and insert entry580 into data structure 500. By way of example, server 310 may identifyentry 540, which includes a value of the “reset_frequency” sub-field(i.e., a sub-field of the counter identifier field) that is identical toa sub-value of the second counter identifier value (e.g., correspondingto the “reset_frequency” sub-field). Server 310 may append new entry 570to entry 540. Alternatively, server 310 may insert entry 570 after thelast entry of data structure 500 (e.g., after entry 560). As anotherexample, server 310 may identify entry 520, which includes a value ofthe “reset_frequency” sub-field (i.e., a sub-field of the counteridentifier field) that is identical to a sub-value of the fourth counteridentifier value (e.g., corresponding to the “reset_frequency”sub-field). Server 310 may append new entry 580 to entry 520.Alternatively, server 310 may insert entry 580 after the last entry ofdata structure 500 (e.g., after entry 560 or entry 570, whichever is thelast entry).

In some embodiments, server 310 may prohibit a download by a particularuser or all users if a counter value of an entry is equal to or exceedsa predetermined threshold. For example, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, after User A downloaded movie M1 on Jun. 27, 2020 at16:00:00, server 310 may update the counter value of entry 530 (forall-time downloads by User A) to “3,” which may indicate that User A canonly download movie M1 three times. Server 310 may determine that thecounter value of entry 530 is equal to a predetermined threshold “3.”Server 310 may also prohibit any downloads by User A in the future, by,for example, sending an instruction to a file server where the mediafile of movie M1 to prevent any further downloads by User A.Alternatively or additionally, server 310 may transmit a message to auser device associated with User A indicating that the user cannotdownload movie M1 anymore. As another example, server 310 may update thecounter value of entry 510 to “4,” after User A's download on Jun. 27,2020. Server 310 may also determine that the counter value of entry 510is equal to a predetermined threshold of “4,” which may indicate thatmovie M1 can be downloaded by all users four times. Server 310 mayfurther prohibit downloads of movie M1 by any users (including User A)in the future.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 600 for updatinga data structure, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. While process 600 is described below using server 310 as anexample, one skilled in the art would understand that another componentor other components of system 100 may perform one or more steps ofprocess 600. In some embodiments, one or more processors of server 310(e.g., one or more processors 401 illustrated in FIG. 4) may beconfigured to perform one or more steps of process 600.

At step 602, server 310 may receive information relating to an event.For example, the event may be that a user (e.g., User A illustrated inFIG. 5B) downloads a movie M1 on Jun. 26, 2020 at 15:00:00 (e.g.,GMT+9). Server 310 may obtain information relating to the first event.For example, server 310 may obtain information relating to the user,information relating to the user device to which the movie wasdownloaded, information relating to the movie, information relating tothe download, or the like, or a combination thereof, as describedelsewhere in this disclosure. By way of example, server 310 may obtain acounter ID associated with movie M1 (e.g., M1), a user ID associatedwith User A (e.g., A), and the completion time of the download (e.g.,Jun. 26, 2020 at 15:00:00).

In some embodiments, server 310 may identify one or more data structuresrelating to movie M1. For example, server 310 may identify datastructure 500 (as illustrated in FIG. 5A) by, for example, searching thecounter ID among the data structures stored in storage device 403.

Referring to FIG. 6, at step 604, server 310 may determine, for theevent, one or more counter identifier values for the counter identifierfield of the data structure. For example, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, server 310 may determine a first counter identifier value of“M1; A; NONE; 9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” for the all-time download(s) byUser A, a second counter identifier value of “M1; A; DAILY; 2020-06-27T15:00:00.000Z” for daily download(s) by User A, a third counteridentifier value of “M1; ALL USERS; NONE; 9999-12-31 23:59:59.000Z” forall-time downloads by all users, and a fourth counter identifier valueof “M1; ALL USERS; DAILY; 2020-06-27T 00:00:00.000Z” for daily downloadsby all users.

In some embodiments, server 310 may determine the value of the resettingsub-field of a counter identifier value based on a timestamp associatedwith an event. For example, User A may complete a download of movie M1on Jun. 26, 2020 at 15:00:00. Server 310 may determine a timestampassociated with the completion of the download (e.g.,2020-06-26T15:00:00.000Z) and determine the value of the resettingsub-field as “2020-06-27T15:00:00.000Z” by, for example, adding 24 hoursto the determined timestamp. In some embodiments, server 310 maydetermine a timestamp associated with an event further based on a timezone associated with the download.

At step 606, server 310 may determine whether the data structureincludes an entry that has a counter identifier value matching adetermined counter identifier value. If so, process 600 may proceed tostep 608, where server 310 may update (increase or decrease) the countervalue of the existing entry. On the other hand, if server 310 determinesthat the data structure does not include an entry that has a counteridentifier value matching the determined counter identifier value,process 600 may proceed to step 610, where server 310 may create a newentry in the data structure for the determined counter identifier value.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B and as described elsewhere inthis disclosure, at step 606, server 310 may determine that the counteridentifier value of entry 510 matches the determined third counteridentifier value, and the counter identifier value of entry 520 matchesthe determined fourth counter identifier value. Server 310 may, at step608, update the counter values of entry 510 and entry 520 by, forexample, adding “1” to the counter values. As another example, at step606, server 310 may determine that data structure 500 does not includean entry having a counter identifier value matching the determined firstcounter identifier value or the determined second counter identifiervalue. Server 310 may, at step 610, create a new entry 530 for the thirdcounter identifier value and a new entry 540 for the fourth counteridentifier value in data structure 500. For example, server 310 maycreate entry 530, assign the third counter identifier value as thecounter identifier value of entry 530, and insert entry 530 into datastructure 500 by, for example, appending entry 530 to the last entry(e.g., entry 520). Similarly, server 310 may create entry 540, assignthe fourth counter identifier value as the counter identifier value ofentry 540, and insert entry 540 into data structure 500 by, for example,appending entry 540 to the last entry (i.e., now entry 530).

As described above, server 310 may create one or more new entries and/orupdate one or more existing entries in response to the occurrence of anevent (e.g., the third event described above). In some embodiments,server 310 may determine whether the counter value of a new entry or anupdated counter value of an existing entry equals to or exceeds athreshold. If server 310 determines that the counter value of an entryequals to or exceeds the threshold, server 310 may prohibit theoccurrence of an event in the future. For example, as described above,server 310 may update the counter value of entry 510 (for the all-timedownloads by all users) to “4” after User A downloads movie M1 on Jun.28, 2020. Server 310 may determine that the counter value “4” equals toa threshold “4” for the all-time downloads by all users (which mayindicate that the number of all-time downloads by all users should notexceed 4). Server 310 may also prohibit the download of movie M1 by anyusers in the future.

As another example, server 310 may determine that the counter value “3”of entry 530 equals a threshold “3” for all-time downloads by anindividual user. Server 310 may also prohibit any future downloads byUser A. Server 310 may still allow download(s) of movie M1 by otherusers if server 310 determines that the counter value of entry 510 isless than a threshold for all-time downloads by all users (e.g., athreshold of 100).

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process for responding toan online request by a user, consistent with the disclosed embodiments.While process 700 is described below using server 310 as an example, oneskilled in the art would understand that another component or othercomponents of system 100 may perform one or more steps of process 700.In some embodiments, one or more processors of server 310 (e.g., one ormore processors 401 illustrated in FIG. 4) may be configured to performone or more steps of process 700.

At step 702, server 310 may receive an online request from a user via auser device 320. An online request may relate to one or more eventsdescribed in this disclosure. For example, an online request may includea request for applying a coupon to an order (e.g., a pending order, aplaced order, etc.), a request for downloading or streaming a media file(e.g., a movie, a song, an episode of a TV series, etc.), a request foraccessing data or information (e.g., an electronic book, an electronicjournal, electronic newspapers, etc.), or the like, or a combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, server 310 may obtain information relating to theonline request. For example, server 310 may obtain information relatingto the user, information relating to the user device from which theonline request was received, information relating to the item (e.g., acoupon), data, and/or information requested in the online request, orthe like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary information relating to auser may include the user ID (and/or the username), the name, theaddress, the phone number, the email address, or the like, or acombination thereof. Exemplary information relating to the item, data,and/or information requested may include the ID and description of theitem, data, and/or information (e.g., a coupon number, a movie title,etc.), or the like, or a combination thereof. Exemplary informationrelating to the user device may include the model, the internet protocol(IP) address associated with the user device, a network device IDassociated with the user device (e.g., media access control (MAC)address), the operating system, or the like, or a combination thereof.

By way of example, User C may transmit to server 310 an online requestto download Movie M1 on Jun. 29, 2020. Server 310 may receive the onlinerequest and obtain information relating to User A (e.g., the user ID“C”, the user account information, etc.) and information relating tomovie M1 (e.g., counter ID “M1”).

At step 704, server 310 may obtain one or more counter values relatingto the online request. For example, server 310 may identify datastructure 500 illustrated in FIG. 5E based on the obtained information.By way of example, server 310 may identify data structure 500 based oncounter ID “M1.” Server 310 may also identify one or more entries indata structure 500 that are relevant to the online request by User C.Server 310 may determine one or more counter identifier values based onthe information relating to the online request similar to the processfor determining one or more counter identifier values (or a sub-fieldthereof) for an event as described elsewhere in this disclosure (e.g.,step 604 of process 600). For example, for the online request, server310 may determine two counter identifier values, each of which may matchone of the counter identifier values of entry 510 and entry 520(illustrated in FIG. 5E). Server 310 may identify entry 510 and entry520 as relevant entries. Server 310 may also obtain the counter value ofentry 510 and/or the counter value of entry 520.

Referring to FIG. 7, at step 706, server 310 may determine whether acounter value equals or exceeds a threshold. If so, process 700 mayproceed to step 708, where server 310 may deny the online request (orprohibit the occurrence of a relevant event). On the other hand, ifserver 310 determines that a counter value is less than the threshold,process 700 may proceed to step 710, where server 310 may grant theonline request (or permit the occurrence of a relevant event).

For example, as described above, server 310 may obtain the counter value“4” of entry 510, which may indicate that the number of the all-timedownloads by all users equals to 4. Server 310 may also determinewhether the counter value “4” equals (or exceeds) a threshold (for theall-time downloads by all users). For example, the threshold may be 4,which may indicate that the all-time downloads by all users may notexceed 4. In this example, server 310 may determine that the countervalue for the all-time downloads by all user equals the threshold, andprocess 700 may proceed to step 708, where server 310 may deny theonline request by User C to download movie M1. On the other hand, ifserver 310 determines that the counter value is less than the threshold,process 700 may proceed to step 710, where server 310 may grant theonline request by User C to download movie M1. Server 310 may alsoupdate one or more counter values in data structure 500 illustrated inFIG. 5E when User C downloads movie M1, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure.

While the examples given for illustrating the systems of the methodsdescribed herein are relating to downloads of a movie file by users, oneskilled in the art would understand that the systems and methods may beused for updating a counter for other types of events. For example, afirst event may be that a first user uses a coupon for an online order.Server 310 may update the counter value of an entry (or create a newentry) in a data structure for the all-time usage of the coupon by thisuser, the daily usage of the coupon by this user, the all-time usage ofthe coupon by all users, and/or the daily usage of the coupon by allusers. Server 310 may take a particular action if the counter value ofan entry is equal to or exceeds a predetermined number. For example, ifserver 310 determines that the counter value of the entry for theall-time use of a coupon is equal to or exceeds a predetermined number(e.g., the limit of 5,000 coupons available daily for all users), server310 may prevent the application of the coupon for all orders to beplaced on the online shopping website.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that thepresent disclosure can be practiced, without modification, in otherenvironments. The foregoing description has been presented for purposesof illustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally,although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described as beingstored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate that theseaspects can also be stored on other types of computer-readable media,such as secondary storage devices, for example, hard disks or CD ROM, orother forms of RAM or ROM, USB media, DVD, Blu-ray, or other opticaldrive media.

Computer programs based on the written description and disclosed methodsare within the skill of an experienced developer. Various programs orprogram modules can be created using any of the techniques known to oneskilled in the art or can be designed in connection with existingsoftware. For example, program sections or program modules can bedesigned in or by means of .Net Framework, .Net Compact Framework (andrelated languages, such as Visual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++,Objective-C, HTML, HTML/AJAX combinations, XML, or HTML with includedJava applets.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope of any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated bythose skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Thelimitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on thelanguage employed in the claims and not limited to examples described inthe present specification or during the prosecution of the application.The examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. Furthermore, thesteps of the disclosed methods may be modified in any manner, includingby reordering steps and/or inserting or deleting steps. It is intended,therefore, that the specification and examples be considered asillustrative only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims and their full scope of equivalents.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A computer-implemented system for updating a counter value in a data structure, comprising: a memory storing instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a process, the process comprising: receiving information relating to a first event; creating, for the first event, a first entry in a data structure, the first entry including a first counter identifier value for a counter identifier field of the data structure; receiving information relating to a second event; determining, for the second event, a second counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure; determining that the data structure does not comprise an entry that includes a counter identifier value matching the second counter identifier value; and creating a second entry in the data structure, wherein a counter identifier value of the second entry comprises the second counter identifier value.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the process further comprises: receiving information relating to a third event; determining, for the third event, a third counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure; determining that the third counter identifier value matches the first counter identifier value; and increasing a counter value in a counter value field of the first entry.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the process further comprises: receiving information relating to a third event; determining, for the third event, a third counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure; determining that the third counter identifier value does not match any counter identifier values in the data structure; and creating, for the third event, a third entry in the data structure, wherein a counter identifier value of the third entry comprises the third counter identifier value.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the process further comprises: appending the third entry to a last entry of the data structure.
 25. The system of claim 23, wherein: the counter identifier field of the data structure comprises a plurality of counter identifier sub-fields; the third counter identifier value comprises a plurality of third counter identifier sub-values, each of the plurality of third counter identifier sub-values corresponding to one of the plurality of counter identifier sub-fields; and the process further comprises: identifying, in the data structure, an existing entry that comprises at least one counter identifier sub-value, in the counter identifier field of the third entry, identical to one of the plurality of third counter identifier sub-values; and appending the third entry to the identified existing entry.
 26. The system of claim 21, wherein: the counter identifier field of the second entry comprises a reset time sub-field for indicating a time for resetting a counter field of the second entry; and creating the second entry comprises: determining a timestamp associated with the second event; and determining, based on the time stamp associated with the second event, a time value for the reset time sub-field.
 27. The system of claim 21, wherein the counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a reset time sub-field indicating a time for resetting a counter value field of the particular entry.
 28. The system of claim 21, wherein a counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a reset frequency sub-field indicating a frequency for resetting a counter value field of the particular entry.
 29. The system of claim 21, wherein a counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a user identifier sub-field indicating a user identifier associated with the particular entry.
 30. The system of claim 21, wherein the first event comprises an interaction by a user device with a webpage or an application page.
 31. A method for updating a counter value in a data structure, the method comprising: receiving information relating to a first event; creating, for the first event, a first entry in a data structure, the first entry including a first counter identifier value for a counter identifier field of the data structure; resetting a counter field of the first entry based on a predetermined time point. receiving information relating to a second event; determining, for the second event, a second counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure; determining that the data structure does not comprise an entry that includes a counter identifier value matching the second counter identifier value; and creating a second entry in the data structure, wherein a counter identifier value of the second entry comprises the second counter identifier value.
 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining the predetermined time point based on a timestamp associated with the first event.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein determining the predetermined time point based on the timestamp associated with the first event comprises determining a time point after a particular time period after the timestamp as the predetermined time point.
 34. The method of claim 31, further comprising: receiving information relating to a third event; determining, for the third event, a third counter identifier value for the counter identifier field of the data structure; determining that the third counter identifier value matches the first counter identifier value; and increasing a counter value in a counter value field of the first entry.
 35. The method of claim 31, wherein appending the second entry to a last entry of the data structure.
 36. The method of claim 35, wherein: the counter identifier field of the data structure comprises a plurality of counter identifier sub-fields; the second counter identifier value comprises a plurality of second counter identifier sub-values, each of the plurality of second counter identifier sub-values corresponding to one of the plurality of counter identifier sub-fields; and the method further comprises: identifying, in the data structure, an existing entry that comprises at least one counter identifier sub-value, in the counter identifier field of the second entry, identical to one of the plurality of second counter identifier sub-values; and appending the second entry to the identified existing entry.
 37. The method of claim 31, wherein the counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a reset time sub-field indicating a time for resetting a counter value field of the particular entry.
 38. The method of claim 31, wherein a counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a reset frequency sub-field indicating a frequency for resetting a counter value field of the particular entry.
 39. The method of claim 31, wherein a counter identifier field of a particular entry comprises a user identifier sub-field indicating a user identifier associated with the particular entry.
 40. The method of claim 31, wherein the first event comprises an interaction by a user device with a webpage or an application page. 